Our Glamorous Time - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

For most people, this New Year's Eve was nothing special .

Ning Weikai was still with his wife, having the family reunion dinner back at the old House of Zhu . Holding her by the window at midnight and watching the New Year's fireworks, he made another lifelong romantic promise to his wife .

As usual, Chen Zheng was on the debaucherous dance floor surrounded by overly-enchanting women . Intoxicated, he smirked at the indulgence around him . Tonight, he just wanted to let himself go and have a great time .

Xue Mingtao was still working at the office . Gu Yanzhi had mysteriously gone overseas . And Gao Lang was on his duty in the security office, the thought of getting his end-of-the-year bonus making him content .

But there was one thought that came to everyone's mind: Next year, I'd like to . . .

For example, I'd like to keep New Bori at the top of the industry and eliminate all the possibilities of competition and aggression .

I want revenge on him, and her, vengeance is the only way .

I don't understand the 'big picture,' but I know I'll follow the commander, do my job well, and save more money so I can send it back to my parents .

Desire was a black hole in everyone's heart, constant, and complicated .

After a flight that was over ten hours long, dragging her luggage, Lin Qian appeared in front of a quiet and classic apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, fantasizing over her own desires . Next year, I must get stronger and reinforce my senior executive position .

But for now, I need to look after my lonely and aloof brother .

Ding dong!

The doorbell rang but no one answered .

Lin Qian shrugged her shoulders; she would not be surprised if Lin Mochen were working overtime considering it was a weekday . But in order to surprise him, and so he wouldn't worry, she hadn't mentioned her trip to him at all .

Without hesitating, she opened the door with her own key .

An hour later she was soaking in the bathtub; she had a bottle of vintage red wine from his collection next to her . The crimson wine inside could be seen through the crystal glass . Gazing out the window at the sky full of stars, she felt relaxed and pleased .

With so many New Year's messages from her colleagues and friends, her phone wouldn't stop buzzing . Even her rival Chen Zheng sent her a message wishing her good luck in her future endeavors and hoping that all her wishes would come true . It was signed, "Chen Zheng from SMQ . " Lin Qian figured it was a group message; finding it a bit funny, she didn't respond .

Since she was overseas, most of the messages were ignored . She only picked a few managers to send a New Year's message to . When it came to Li Zhicheng, she hesitated .

Not sure why, but the thought of his casual invitation yesterday to an opera show was making her unsettled .

After some consideration, she started typing, 'President Li, wish all your dreams come true and for greater achievements at Aida in the coming year . ' She also added, 'Hope you enjoyed the end-of-year party . Have a great night . '

Within a minute, she got a response . 'I didn't attend . '

Staring at the simple response, she was a little astounded and also slightly guilty .

The image of his calm and handsome face the other day made her feel a sense of hidden desolation from his impression of coolness and distance .

Meanwhile, some noise was coming from downstairs . Lin Qian pulled herself together, putting the phone away and leaving the bathtub .

. . .

Downstairs Lin Mochen entered his home; it had been a rough, busy day for him . The thought of celebrating the New Year hadn't even come across his mind . What for? Should he get drunk alone and drown his sorrow? Or, like other single men in America, look for a fling at some bar? He didn't have the time or the mood . Plus, he usually found the women in the bars were too unattractive .

He had been working up until this moment . He'd invited a few business partners over to his place without any fuss, and they all headed directly to his balcony . It was classic and elegant, full of plants and bright lights . They sipped tea while discussing an investment project they had been working on lately .

Just 30 minutes into their conversation, a dark-skinned partner of his suddenly paused, asking him, "Jason, did you hear something?"

Accordingly, everyone started to quiet down; they heard the sound of slow and light footsteps coming from upstairs: pat, pat, pat . . .

Everyone began to stare at each other . Judging from the footsteps, Lin Mochen had already figured out who that could be .

He smiled—a rare, sincere and delighted smile . His deep and clearly sculpted face appeared ridiculously handsome under the lights . The female business partner sitting next to him came to a realization . "Jason, there's a woman in your home?"

"It's my younger sister," he responded . Soon after that, a young lady elegantly walked down the stairs, smiling .

"Brother! Hi guys . "

Men are all about looks, and most of the Wall Street elites there were male . At this moment, regardless of age or skin color, as long as they were male their attention was on Lin Qian .

The Chinese lady in her twenties was in a simple black hoodie and jeans, and on her feet were furry slippers . Her long, damp hair was lying on her shoulders . There was a pop of redness to her pale and youthful cheeks, adding a little dewiness to her skin . Although this was not the most gorgeous face they'd ever seen, with her fresh and pretty facial features, she appeared exotic, pure, and lively .

Lin Mochen's gaze was on his sister, and then it landed on the rest of the men .

He unconsciously raised his eyebrows .

Standing up, he forced a smile . "Shall we just call it a day? I have a visitor here . "

He quickly dismissed all the guests . Five minutes later, they had all left the premise .

Standing by, Lin Qian walked the last visitor out, grinning . Lin Mochen quickly glanced at her . "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? What were you gonna do all by yourself?"

Lin Qian chuckled . She grabbed his arm and they walked inside . "I just wanted to surprise you . Brother, were you nervous hearing my slow footsteps on the stairs? Haha!"

Lin Mochen quietly chuckled without commenting .

It had been a while since they'd last seen each other . Lin Qian had meant to get him some presents before the visit, but she hadn't found the time to go shopping . She had been busy all the way up to the last day she had worked at Aida before vacation . So the present she'd gotten him was just an average male wallet from Aida .

As expected, once Lin Mochen received the wallet, he threw it over the couch after sparing it an impatient glare .

"You can't just refuse all our domestic brands," Lin Qian said with a frown . "The quality and craftsmanship are actually pretty good . It's from the company I'm working for—we're talking about the time and effort I've put in here . "

Lin Mochen replied, "I'll consider using it once you and your colleagues make it in the global top five . "

Lin Qian didn't like the sound of it . Just when she was about to argue, the term "colleague" reminded her of Li Zhichen . It reminded her of his passion and persistence when encouraging others to fight for the Ming Sheng project as well as his strategies and determination .

Why was she suddenly feeling so confident in front of her arrogant brother?

Unlike herself, she calmed down and smiled . "Huh… That day will come, you can count on it . "

Just across the road from the apartment was a luxurious five-star hotel . After some flurries of snow had fallen from the sky to cover the trees and all the pedestrians' hair, the reflection from the lights left everything white, bright and clear .

Sitting at the hotel restaurant, overlooking the beautiful view outside the window, Lin Qian slowly became distracted .

Opposite to her was Lin Mochen, elegantly cutting his steak with a silver knife and fork . He had been quietly observing his sister's facial expression .

"Are you seeing someone?" he suddenly asked . "Seeing that Li Zhicheng?"

Frozen, Li Qian turned to look at him .

"How did you know—No, I'm not seeing anyone . But why him?"

Lin Mochen chuckled, "Cause you've set your bar pretty high . "

Stunned by his sharp observation, after a brief silence she decided to be completely honest . "We're not dating . He has expressed his feelings for me, but I said no . "

Staring at her, Lin Mochen became quiet .

Even though she calmly rejected the idea, she didn't realize that she kept stabbing the high-quality steak on the plate with her knife and fork .

With sunken eyes, Lin Mochen responded, "Good—you shouldn't . I wouldn't support it either . "

"Why not?" Lin Qian looked startled .

He put down the knife and fork, then picked up the serviette to wipe his mouth . "Because he's different," he said calmly . "Lin Qian—when it comes to relationships, for the men who always rack their brains, the more they do it, the more ruthless you need to treat them . You need to do this until there's nothing left to them but their true hearts . "

Thirty minutes later Lin Qian was dressed in a puffer jacket, a hat, gloves, and a scar, and stood under the porch of the restaurant . A few moments later, she turned her back and looked through the window; seeing Lin Mochen was still on the phone, sitting on the same spot with a calm look, she couldn't help but judge him .

What a strong-headed brother!

She had only pointed out the truth to him after his previous comment .  "Brother," she had said, "you're also this type of man—have you ever been treated ruthlessly?"

Lin Mochen had become agitated right away and had started giving her the silent treatment .

Li Qian really had no idea what his romantic history looked like . But she had also figured something out, so she didn't keep asking . While he'd been caught in the phone call, she'd come out for some fresh air .

The hotel was decorated in a European style . Under some shade from the big trees between the buildings, there was a small garden covered in snow that was illuminated under the soft dim light . Some red Chinese lanterns were hanging on the glass wall nearby, red and bright and very impressive . Some notes were also stuck on them; written in Chinese, they appeared to be the traditional Chinese lantern riddles . Surrounding the lanterns were some people looking around .

Lin Qian was also coming along for the ride .

She picked up a piece of a riddle . Hmm, interesting . It read, "The world for men . " Lin Qian was trying to solve the riddle when she heard the petite, fresh-looking girl next to her . She seemed to be Japanese and spoke to her friend in English . "We can stop now . Someone just guessed all the riddles . "

Her friend said, "He must be getting first prize . "

Intrigued, Lin Qian turned around, hearing the Caucasian waitress answer, "That's right, by a very handsome guy . Gosh, he just returned with the prize . "

Accordingly, they looked over, and so did Lin Qian . She saw a man coming out of the corner in the front hallway with one hand in his pocket, the other one carrying the lantern .

The lighting was quite dark; she could roughly see him in a black jacket, tall and slender, with heavy footsteps . Under the light, his vague but long silhouette portrayed a distinctive impression; cold, stern, calm and handsome .

Lin Qian found him… somehow familiar .

But it couldn't be possible .

The Japanese girl next to her said to her friend, "Is he Korean?" They soon stepped up, trying to find out what he looked like .

But Lin Qian happened to be blocking them .

Unwilling to lag behind, she also moved ahead, walking around them and taking a good spot at the front trying to get a closer look .

The man was approaching .

The shape of his figure was becoming more and more familiar, and she was becoming more and more amazed .

He looked up, completely ignoring bypassers' discussions and attention, staring straight at her .

Instead of a suit, he was wearing a normal black jacket and casual pants, appearing younger and eye-catching . Under his long black eyebrows, there was a hint of a smile from his dark eyes as they reflected some light .

"Happy New Year, Lin Qian . "

Li Qian's response was to first rub her eyes .

"President Li, why are you here?" Why are you carrying a lantern?

Surprised, the waitress next to her asked, "Hmm, sir, why didn't you get the iPhone for first prize? The lantern belongs to the third prize winner . "

Lin Qian glanced at his hand . In it was a very delicate octagonal lantern, the rice paper thin and soft with some jet-black spikes . A Chinese portrait of ancient ladies was printed on the canvas's soft and gentle lining, feminine and realistic .

The Japanese girls nearby were still quietly watching and commenting while Lin Qian still stood stunned . Li Zhicheng looked at her softly . "Give me your hands . Both of them . "

Confused, Lin Qian stared at him, holding up both of her hands . Her heart was pounding from his sudden appearance .

Surrounded by the dim light, his face looked both soft and hard, like a relief sculpture . Gazing at her with his pitch black eyes, he put the lantern into her left palm .

In a low, gentle voice: "Take it . "

"Umm, okay . " Holding it tightly, Lin Qian thought, Is this because he's shy after being caught with a lantern, so he's handing it to me? Hmm, and why both hands?

Her right hand had suddenly become warm .

He was holding it .

His dry and cool hands grabbed hers, closing all her fingers .

Lin Qian quickly looked up at him .

He was also staring at her quietly . His eyes were dark as night; he held her hand tightly and didn't seem to plan on letting it go .

In a low voice, the girl next to her gasped, "Woah…"

Thump, Thump, Thump .  Lin Qian's heart wouldn't stop .

He had just arrived in front of her out of nowhere, greeting her with, "Give me your hands . " With one of her hands holding the lantern, and the other one held by him, this was all too …

Gazing at each other for a split second longer, he then pulled her hand, leading her outside without saying anything .

Lin Qian carried the lantern, walking fast to keep up with him . The hand tightly held by him was hot as an iron . She ignored the stares from others and the noise all around them . The two quietly walked past the crowd and the hotel to the busy streets covered with falling with snow .

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